Inside the Court of the Dead

The Court of the Dead is our new obsession.

Based on original story and characters created by Sideshow’s Creative Director, Tom Gilliland (below), this all-new collection explores fascinating themes of death, beauty and the supernatural.

So far the Court of the Dead collection has introduced a cast of extremely diverse characters. Following the debut of the first Reaper General, the Queen of the Dead and Red Death made a huge impact last summer at San Diego Comic-Con. They garnered further enthusiasm during Sideshow’s October Spooktacular event, and again at the Burbank horror-themed convention, Monsterpalooza, where visitors saw a gallery of new artwork and sculptures including Shieve, the Arbiter of Bone, Gallevarbe, Death’s Siren, and the Templar of Bone.

The world of the Court of the Dead revolves around Death, a mysterious overlord who seeks to redefine the laws of the afterlife. Focused on one purpose, to “Rise, Conquer and Rule,” the members of the Court assemble under the three Disciplines of the underworld: Spirit, Bone, and Flesh, each defined by unique philosophies and traits. Like houses in Hogwarts, excited members of the art and development team have already started choosing their personal affiliations, while Gilliland’s latest tattoo proudly represents them all.

In addition to the Sideshow Collectibles creative team, Gillland has assembled a powerhouse team of 2d and 3d artists from all over the world to create the new collection, including:

Envisioning the rich and multifaceted universe of the Court of the Dead has been a challenging and deeply gratifying endeavor for Gilliland.

“It’s a fortunate and exciting opportunity to explore this new world with artistic contributions from friends and colleagues, who also happen to be some of the best talents in the business. The Court of the Dead has been a welcome creative charge, and doing so with this team of individuals is even more rewarding.”

Looking ahead, as the Court’s pantheon continues to stir intrigue, we’re proud to share this sneak peek from our drawing board to demonstrate the diversity of designs planned, and just a few of the prominent characters coming on the horizon. (Click to enlarge.)